YMCA Logo PNG
The Young Men’s Christian Association, which was founded in 1844, now has over 2 billion beneficiaries.Most versions of the YMCA logo feature the triangle, which represents the slogan “Spirit, mind, body”.
Meaning and history
The visual identity of the Christian’s Association has undergone several major redesigns, but its main symbol, the red triangle, standing for the unity of mind, body, and spirit, was adopted by YMCA in 1891 and has never left the logo since then.
1881 – Today
The very first logo for YMCA was created in 1881 and is still used by the organization as the secondary version. It is an ornate and detailed circular badge with the image of an open Bible in the center, enclosed in a thick brake frame with the “Americae Asia Europa Oceania Africa” inscription in a bold serif font placed on it. The “World Alliance Of YMCA’s” wordmark is written in black and arched above the badge.
1891 – 1895
The logo, introduced in 1891 became a basis not only for the YMCA’s visual identity but also for its philosophy and values. It was an idea of Luther H Gluick, which was based on the importance of balance between spirit, body, and mind for every man. The logo featured a bold red triangle, pointing down, with the three words “Mind Body Spirit” written in white bold sans-serif on its sides.
1895 – 1896
The logo from 1895 was a combination of two previous versions — the red triangle was placed inside the circle, having an open Bible in the middle, drawn in white on a black background. The framing of the badge was simplified to two thin black circles, and the additional lettering was removed.
1896 – 1897
The bold black parts were removed from the emblem in 1896, which made the whole image lighter and more elegant. Also, a smaller double circle was added to the badge, filling the white space, and balancing the look.
1897 – Today
The “Spirit Min Body” lettering was removed from the red triangle, and replaced by a solid black rectangular banner with the white “YMCA” on it, crossing the triangle horizontally. This is the emblem, which is still in use by the association today.
1967 – Today
The redesign of 1967 brought a truly outstanding logo design to the YMCA. It was a stylized letter “Y”, with its upper-right bar replaced by a red triangle. The main body of the letter was drawn in black, so the image looked very powerful and modern. There was also a monochrome version of the logo, which was stricter yet not less powerful.
The version for the UK, which was also created in 1967, featured a bold sans-serif “YMCA” lettering with the red triangle placed between the two bars of the “Y”. This version was in use until 2014.
2010 – Today
The redesign of 2010 modified and softened the YMCA logo, introduced in 1967, changing its contours and keeping black as the main color. The lines of the “Y” were emboldened and the angles — rounded, while the triangle changed its color to black and not had no negative space in it. On the left from the emblem, there is a lowercase “The” in a rounded sans-serif, and the “YMCA” is written along the right side of the big “Y” bar, in smaller letters.
2014 – Today
The YMCA logo for the UK, designed in 2014, is also executed in monochrome and has only the wordmark, executed in a custom typeface with extra-thick lines and triangular shapes, placed on a white background. The upper part of the letter “A” has a small white triangle placed on it, pointing to the right and resembling a “Play” button.
Font
The simple san serif typeface is supposed to create an active and welcoming image of the organization.
Color
The current YMCA logo offers a variety of color options to match thecommunities the Y works in.
